This Day in Sports History: October 8
October sports are all about the Major League Baseball postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, significant college football games, NASCAR’s Xfinity 500, track events, the UEFA Champions…
October sports are all about the Major League Baseball postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, significant college football games, NASCAR's Xfinity 500, track events, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula One. Over the years, Oct. 8 has witnessed many notable sporting events and stories shared by sports legends. Here's a closer look at some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from Oct. 8 include:
- 1887: The Phillies set a club record with their 16th straight win.
- 1888: Jack Burns won the British Open for men's golf — it was his lone open title
- 1915: The Phillies won their first and only World Series game before 1980.
- 1927: The Yankees swept the Pirates and won the World Series.
- 1929: The A's Howard Ehmke set a World Series record with 13 strikeouts against the Cubs.
- 1939: The Yankees swept the Reds and won their fourth consecutive World Series title.
- 1956: Yankees pitcher Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in the World Series.
- 1960: In the third Rugby League World Cup, Great Britain beat Australia 10-3.
- 1961: Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford broke Babe Ruth's record of 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series.
- 1972: Harold Carmichael began an NFL streak of 127 straight game receptions.
- 1975: In the first basketball game played at the Louisiana Superdome, the Spurs beat the Hawks 109-107.
- 1982: The New Jersey Devils got their first NHL victory and beat the New York Rangers 3-2.
- 1983: The Washington Capitals played their first NHL overtime game and lost to the New York Islanders 8-7.
- 1994: In the sixth College Football Holy War, Boston College beat Notre Dame 30-11.
- 1995: Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino broke Tarkenton's NFL career completions record.
- 2000: Driver Michael Schumacher won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship for the third time.
- 2000: Team Europe regained the Solheim Cup for women's golf.
- 2005: Wayne Gretzky got his first win as a coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.
- 2016: New Zealand beat South Africa and won their fourth Rugby Championship.
- 2018: Saints quarterback Drew Brees became the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards.
- 2023: Max Verstappen won his third consecutive Formula One title.
Don Larsen, Harold Carmichael, and Max Verstappen were three athletes who stood out on Oct. 8.
Despite Larsen having a mixed major league career, his single, unprecedented achievement immortalized him in baseball history. It remains the only perfect game in World Series history. Carmichael's height — standing at 6 feet 8 inches — made him one of the tallest wide receivers in NFL history. In 2020, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Verstappen is recognized as being the youngest driver to compete in Formula One as well as the youngest race winner.
